Man pleads guilty to drug charge

FAIRBANKS (AP) -- A Fairbanks man found with more than 300 marijuana plants on his property in December pleaded guilty to manufacturing a controlled substance Monday in Federal Court.

William E. Kaiser Jr., 40, was arrested after law enforcement officials searched a warehouse on the Richardson Highway.

''They suspected that illegal activity was going on,'' said prosecutor Stephen Cooper. Investigators discovered the electric meter on the warehouse had been turned over so as to run backward.

According to court documents, a warrant was served on the property on Dec. 2, 2000. Officers found Kaiser, who was leasing the building, residing in a small living area tucked in a corner of the warehouse. In the main area they allegedly found 239 mature marijuana plants and about 100 starter plants growing in individual pots.

Investigators also found a shotgun and a revolver in the warehouse.

Kaiser was also charged with possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Kaiser contends the guns were used only for hunting and were not there to protect the crop.

Kaiser faces a minimum of five years in prison as a result of the guilty plea on the count of manufacturing a controlled substance.